Merry Christmas and joyful holiday wishes to YOU!
Being together with family and friends is always a merry occasion, especially on Christmas Eve and Day.
If you are the host/hostess of the house, be sure to make the extra effort to welcome your guests at the door with JOY!
If you are the guest, make the effort to bring a little gift, preferably something homemade, which both Mummy and I believe to be the best gift of all. Whether it is a meaningful photograph, homemade spiced nuts, a box of cookies or gingerbread men, a breakfast cake or casserole for the next morning, or a pecan pie that can be frozen for future use, a homemade gift speaks from a heart filled with joy.
The white gift box above is filled with homemade petite toffee candies from an old English family recipe of my dear friend, whom I walk with. After the holidays, we can happily walk off the calories together! Oh, joy!
I was surprised to find this beautiful fruit topiary at my door when I arrived home a few days ago. A precious friend of over 40 years made it at a workshop hosted by the Colonial Dames of Connecticut headquarters. It was led by my friend, Ruth Loiseau, the White House floral designer. What a thoughtful way to thank me for the luncheon I had hosted the week before. Not only is it visually lovely, but my grandchildren will delight in plucking off the fruit at our Christmas morning breakfast- double joy!
What is “the cherry on top” for a homemade gift? Taking the time to write a little note to accompany your gift with a sentence or two on why you are grateful for your friendship, which is the essence of the joy shared at Christmas and the holidays.
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Millennial Tip
When visiting someone's house, try not to overstay your welcome. Asking a host to tell you when they want you to leave may seem like a thoughtful gesture, but most likely they will never give you a specific time! So, after dessert is finished at a dinner party, I simply say, "What a lovely time this has been. I must be on my way now!" This technique works brilliantly for me, because either way, if the host wants you to stay, they will tell you, and if not, you are assured that you have chosen the appropriate time to leave!
When you bring a baking pan or serving piece to someone’s house (or to a function), place a little piece of masking tape on the bottom and write your last name on it, so that the hostess can easily distinguish and separate your baking pans or serving pieces from other similar ones, and set it aside for its return to you.
A jar of homemade Concord Grape jam from Cape Cod was given to me by the hostess of a party I attended last week. She returned the baking pan which I used to serve my cheese blintzes and thoughtfully placed the jam she made, with a darling note, inside the bag with my baking pan. What a wonderful surprise!
Make an ornament memorable by using a gold or silver marker to write the date on it and if space allows, personalize it with a name. I also mark the date and my best wishes near the top of a bottle of wine or champagne with a gold marker. This simple gesture makes a gift more meaningful... spreading even more joy!